Iraq poll fears deepen as two Sistani aides killed

Two aides to Iraq's top Shi'ite leader Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani have been killed in separate attacks apparently aimed at inflaming sectarian conflict among Iraqis already divided on whether January 30 polls should go ahead.

A Sistani representative said yesterday gunmen killed cleric Mahmoud al-Madaen along with his son and four bodyguards. Madaen, Sistani's representative in the ancient town of Salman Pak south of Baghdad, was killed on Wednesday.

Another aide, Halim al-Mohaqeq, a cleric working in Sistani's office in Najaf, was also found dead on Wednesday.

"Sheikh Halim was found drowned in his own blood. Investigations are under way," leading Sistani representative Hamed al-Khafaf said.

Iraqi officials say attacks on Shi'ite targets in Iraq show Sunni Muslim insurgents want to inflame sectarian distrust, which divisions over the elections have already stoked.

Iraq's 60 per cent Shi'ite majority, oppressed for decades under Saddam Hussein, strongly supports the elections. A list of mainly Shi'ite candidates drawn up with Sistani's approval is expected to dominate the polls.

Sunni leaders say that if many Sunnis regard the elections as unfair, this will spark more bloodshed and even civil war.

The reclusive Sistani, Iraq's most widely revered religious leader, commands enormous influence in the country. Sistani has urged Shi'ites to refrain from revenge attacks.

"Do you think that Shi'ite forces cannot storm into southern Baghdad and secure these areas? But we don't want to hand our enemies the civil war they want," a Shi'ite official said.

Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar said yesterday the election must go ahead as planned, despite urging the UN last week to look into whether January 30 was a realistic date.